5 Ways to Get the Most out of Hebrew School

Hebrew school is not like taking your shirts to the dry cleaners.

As a Hebrew school teacher for many years, I’ve seen how these extra lessons can both challenge and enrich students and their families. Here are five suggestions to getting the most out of your Sunday or Hebrew school this year.

1. Commit to attending.

One of the greatest challenges for extracurricular religious schools is making sure they’re not “extra” at all, but a crucial part of students’ overall education.

It’s a struggle to find time in our busy schedules. The soccer tournaments scheduled during Sunday school, the nights of heavy homework that make it hard for kids to leave the house for weekday afternoon Hebrew classes. But kids understand very quickly what our priorities are. When we put off Jewish classes for convenience, we’re telling our kids that Jewish education is less important other activities.

Conversely, by resolving to put Jewish classes first – above sports, social engagements, even above extra homework and projects for regular school – we send a message that Jewish learning is important: that it’s central to who we are and what we stand for.

As Hillel taught in Ethics of the Fathers, “Do not say, ‘When I am free I will study,’ for perhaps you will not become free” (Pirkei Avot 2:5).

2. Demand excellence.

The other day a mom told me about her middle-school-aged son’s activities. He’s a serious musician, taking instrument lessons each week and performing in a youth band. In his competitive public school, he elected to study Mandarin and can already carry on basic conversations. Last summer, he even participated in a program for extremely bright children at a nearby research university, where he studied advanced chemistry and physics.

“Oh fine,” his mom replied, “last year he learned to say the short prayer before reading the Torah in Hebrew.”

Parents expect great strides each year in “regular” school, but they are somehow content with a much lower level of achievement when it comes to Jewish studies. This double standard conveys something to our kids about how little we value their Jewish studies.

This year, consider making an appointment with your child’s religious studies teachers to discuss what will be learned in the classroom. Make sure you communicate to your kids that you expect them to master certain skills. And follow through: if you find your child isn’t thriving academically in Sunday school, take the same steps you would if they were failing to thrive in “regular” school. Consider hiring a tutor, talk to their teacher about work they can do at home, find someone knowledgeable to review difficult subjects with them.

In addition to helping your child, finding them extra help also sends the message that you value Jewish subjects, and want them to do well in them.

3. Make Jewish learning a family activity.

Author Wendy Mogul describes the “dry-cleaning” version of Jewish education: just like we take our clothing in to be cleaned – with little or no input from us – some of us drop off our kids once a week or more to be spiritually enriched – with no work required from home.

Kids can see right through this “outsourced” model of Jewish education.” If something’s not important enough to engage the whole family, why – kids question – should they value it?

Jewish learning is a central part of family life. Teachers can help us transmit knowledge, but the ultimate responsibility to teach our kids rests with us.

The Torah instructs us to pass its wisdom along to our children: “And these words shall be, which I command you this day, upon thy heart, and you shall teach them diligently to thy children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). For many of us, though, this seems a tall order. How can we pass along wisdom that many of us never acquired in the first place?

The famous sage Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (Rashi) anticipated this problem. Commenting on this verse, Rashi explained it means that we as parents need to prepare, so that when our children ask us questions, we are ready to answer them.

This might mean taking Jewish or Hebrew classes of our own, reading books, or just talking through issues that our kids are studying along with them. Opening a dialogue with our kids about Jewish subjects shows them they’re not alone, that we value what they’re learning: that growing together Jewishly is an important family goal.

4. Come up with Jewish goals for the family this year.

Sunday school doesn’t have to be your family’s only forum for imparting Jewish knowledge. This year, come up with concrete goals for your family. Whether it’s reading a Jewish book and discussing it together, finding out the meaning behind a Jewish ritual you do, or improving your Hebrew, try brainstorming things you can learn together.

In addition to giving you something to share with your kids, exploring Jewish concepts as a family shows them you value their Jewish learning, and encourages them to stick with Jewish education.

5. Integrate your kids’ curriculum into your family’s life.

Finally, if there’s one wish I could make for my students, it would be for families to integrate the topics they’re learning about into their weekly routines.

The most motivated, excited students I teach are invariably the ones whose families use the tzedaka boxes they made in Hebrew school to set aside money for charity, who light candles in the home-made menorahs and Shabbat candlesticks their kids bring home, who talk about the ideas and concepts their kids are learning about in class.

View Hebrew school as a journey. Show your kids it’s a trip you’re committed to making along-side them as they learn more and grow.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Yvette Alt Miller earned her B.A. at Harvard University. She completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Jewish Studies at Oxford University, and has a Ph.D. In International Relations from the London School of Economics. She lives with her family in Chicago, and has lectured internationally on Jewish topics. Her book Angels at the table: a Practical Guide to Celebrating Shabbat takes readers through the rituals of Shabbat and more, explaining the full beautiful spectrum of Jewish traditions with warmth and humor. It has been praised as "life-changing", a modern classic, and used in classes and discussion groups around the world.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 6

(6)
Anonymous,
November 2, 2013 10:46 PM

must be serious and sincere

it is very important that every jewish kid gets some jewish education. you never know where it will land them. from other comments you see how much good it can do. it is important that the teachers be sincere and devoted and look upon the positive influence they can have on the students. never lost hope.

(5)
Nancy,
September 24, 2013 10:04 PM

To commenter #1. I think the answer to your question is that we just need to do it. Re: Preaching to the choir. Perhaps the suggestions that Yvette Alt Miller has proposed are not so obvious to everybody. Who knows? Maybe someone reading this blog decided to make a positive change because of what she wrote. As someone with practically NO formal Jewish education, I can honestly say that what is obvious to one person may be a complete revelation to me. that's why I read Aish all the time! :-)

(4)
Nancy,
September 23, 2013 4:13 PM

I wonder if Yvette Alt Miller has been listening in on my conversations, lol. I agree 1000% with everything she has written.

(3)
Simcha,
September 23, 2013 8:49 AM

Memories From Hebrew School!!!

This brings back memories from my Hebrew school days from the mid '60's to the early '70's. When I was in 1st grade Hebrew school which was conservative and which I attended three days a week, I had difficulty learning how to read Hebrew. When I entered 2nd grade, the teacher took an interest in me and got me a tutor who happened to have been observant and a very well known rebbetzin in the city where I lived. The tutor worked for the school and therefore was free of charge. Thanks to the tutor and the teacher who took an interest in me, I went from a "D" to a "B" to an "A" in one year becoming the best student in the Hebrew school throughout the rest of my Hebrew school career earning me a full scholarship to continue on to Hebrew high school. This is thanks to my parents (may they rest in peace) who took Hebrew school just as seriously as public school and that wonderful teacher who built up my interest in Hebrew school as well as discovering that I was also a child prodigy singer. When I was Bar Mitzvahed, for two months afterwards, the congregants in the synagogue spoke about how well I did. My interest in Hebrew school, even though it was conservative, gave me such an interest in Judaism thanks to that teacher, that as an adult in my early 20's, this was one of the main factors that helped me to become observant. I myself was a Sunday school teacher in a conservative school for eight years from '86 to '94 until moving to Israel. During the years that I taught Sunday school, I took a personal interest in each one of the students' which helped the students tremendously in their interest of Sunday school and giving them the encouragement to want to attend Sunday school. To summarize, Dr. Miller is absolutely correct in her assessment of "getting the most out of Sunday or Hebrew school". The children must have good attendance as well as encouragement from parents and teachers which will lead them to a path of good Judaic skills and an interest in Judaism.

(2)
Joseph Toubes,
September 22, 2013 5:25 PM

In my neck of the woods

The community in my one horse town, moved the Hebrew school out 20 miles from where we live, into the country. Then raised the cost of going there (you do get 250 off for being a member of the Jewish Federation) however, they made it for the rich elite of the area, out far west as they could go. The Kohell in town do not educate girls, so there we are...

(1)
Elaine,
September 22, 2013 2:42 PM

Of course...but...

The expression "preaching to the choir" comes to mind. The audience reading this post already knows that parents have to be a part of their children's Jewish learning. We already know how to prioritize Hebrew school. But how do we reach the rest of the parents? I wish I knew the answer.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!